


Such a Snitch

by The_Chronic_Cryptid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hogwarts Eighth Year, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22392292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Chronic_Cryptid/pseuds/The_Chronic_Cryptid
Summary: Harry has a crush on Draco, but Harry won't tell him. But Luna Lovegood is such a snitch...
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 186





	Such a Snitch

Harry scraped his finger over the edge of the batter bowl to snag a chocolate chip while Luna's back was turned. He hummed to himself, grinning at the taste of chocolate melting on his tongue. Luna blew on the mugs of hot cocoa that the Hogwarts elves brought them. She swept her blonde hair back behind her ears and offered Harry his mug.

  
"You were sneaking dough, weren't you?" She asked. Harry stuck out his chocolate speckled tongue at her. He took his mug and inhaled a deep breath. Christmas Holidays were never something he'd enjoyed before coming to Hogwarts. Too much of the Dursleys and Aunt Marge. Not enough fun. But it was different now. Though Ron and Hermione had gone home, Luna had decided to stay for the break. The two had the run of the castle, most of the other students were gone and the professors were few and far between. One other eighth year, however, was noticeably present.

  
Draco Malfoy hadn't returned home. Harry didn't blame him for it. His father was in prison and his home had been used as a headquarters for evil. It wasn't somewhere Harry ever wanted to return to either. So instead, he moped around the castle.

  
"We should give him some cookies when we're finished," Harry said, scooping blobs of dough onto the tray.

  
"Who, the niffler?" Luna asked. Harry shook his head, "Oh, you mean Draco Malfoy." Harry almost choked on his cocoa, "Yes, let's put some into a tin for him. Then you can give them to him when you tell him you like him."

  
"Luna!" Harry flushed. He slammed his mug on the counter hard enough to send dribbles of cocoa spraying through the air. Glancing around, he made sure none of the elves were close enough to hear it, "You're such a snitch." She'd forced it out of him after too much Firewhiskey. And the girl couldn't let it go.

  
Luna washed away her giggles in more hot chocolate. She took the tray from Harry and wandered over to the elves with it. They didn't like the students near their ovens. So, they started to clean their mess before the elves shooed them away from that as well. Cocoa mugs in hand, they wandered out of the kitchen. Luna skipped through the empty halls and Harry trailed behind her, "Back to the common room?" He asked. Luna nodded. They had plenty of time before the cookies were ready and cool, knowing the elves they would just end up delivering the cookies to them. Harry strode to the tapestry with the unicorn on it, pulling it aside to reveal the entrance to the eighth-year dorms. He tapped his wand three times on the brass knocker and muttered, "Four houses, One home". The door sprung open on its squeaky hinges.

  
Draco Malfoy lounged on one of the couches in the common room, a book balanced on his stomach. He jumped when Harry and Luna walked into the room, his book hitting the floor with a dull thud. The blond boy didn't lean down to pick it up. He'd frozen like a frightened animal. Luna strode forward and scooped up the fallen book. She set the book back in the Slytherin's arms.

  
"Hello Draco, is that any good?" She asked. Draco blinked. He nodded stiffly, glancing down the hallway to the dorms to make an escape. But Luna dropped down on the couch next to him. She pulled a little notepad out of her pocket and a squashed quill from behind her ear. She hummed the same carol Harry had been humming in the kitchen. Draco stared at Luna for a moment, but she was lost in her own world. He looked up at Harry, head cocking to the side. Harry shrugged back and dropped to one of the armchairs. He summoned his worn copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, kicking his legs over the arm of the chair.

  
Draco settled at the sight of the other two lost in their own projects. He returned to his book. The little common room was quiet until a soft pop made Draco jump. Two metal tins clanged onto the side table beside Harry. A tray popped into the room seconds later with three steaming mugs of cocoa. The blond clutched his book to his chest, gripping hard enough to turn his knuckles white,

  
"It's okay Malfoy, it was just the elves. They brought us a snack." Harry snatched one of the tins, prying the lid open to reveal its brimming contents. He passed Draco a mug and offered him the tin, “Luna and I made them earlier.”

  
Draco fished a cookie out of the tin. He dunked the cookie into his hot cocoa before taking a big bite. Harry grinned before doing the same. Luna didn’t even glance up from her notebook, but she did summon her snack to enjoy while she wrote.

  
“Thank you.” Draco didn’t speak often anymore, so Harry knew he meant it. He nodded and returned his attention to his own snack. But he kept sneaking glances at the blond. Grinning at the sight of the crumbs on the pale boy’s cheeks. Draco was less of a dignified pureblood since returning to school. He was quieter and bashful in a way that made Harry want to forget their previous rivalry altogether.

  
Flushing, Harry stared down into his own drink. It fogged his glasses. He tried to make himself look anywhere but the other boy. Luna flashed Harry a knowing, dreamy smile over the top of her notepad,

  
“Draco,” Luna broke the comfortable silence in the room, “we’re helping the elves decorate the tree in tomorrow. Would you like to join us?” Draco’s eyes widened. Most of the eighth years decided to let go of the past. No one was unkind to him to his face, but he wasn’t often invited to events.  
“I’ll think about it. Please excuse me.” He stood up, grabbed his book, and rushed to his dorm. Harry and Luna watched him retreat. The door slammed shut, “I think you should tell him.” Harry shook his head, “Why not?”

  
“I don’t know,” Harry ran his hands through his messy hair, “He’s been through a lot.”

  
“And you haven’t?” Luna cocked her head to the side. She sucked on the end of her quill, staring Harry down with her dreamy eyes. Harry shrugged. Snagging his cocoa and his mug, he retreated to his own dorm without another word.

***

Harry stirred in his bed. The bright sunlight of Christmas Eve filled the room. His glasses skewed on the end of his nose. Groaning, he sat up and fixed the glasses that he’d fallen asleep wearing. He rolled over to retrieve his wand and caught sight of something shiny. A golden snitch perched on his bedside table. Harry scooped up a little piece of paper beside it.

  
Harry squinted at Luna’s scrawl on the page. Kiss me like I’m Draco. Beside the words was a crudely drawn picture of the snitch. He rolled his eyes, letting the paper fall to the table. He ignored the snitch in favor of getting dressed. But once he’s pulled one of his Weasley sweaters over his head and buttoned his jeans, he found himself drifting back to the side table where the snitch sat.

  
He snatched the snitch up off the table. It didn’t seem any different from the other snitches he’d used or had in his mouth, for that matter. Harry lifted the snitch to his lips and gave it a quick peck before he could think better of it. Cool gold stung his lips. Its wings whirred into life. Harry snapped back from the snitch. It whizzed through the air and ducked out of the gap under his door before he could stop it.

  
Swearing under his breath, Harry threw on his slippers and chased the snitch down the hall. He leaped for it, but it flitted out of reach. Luna wandered out of her own room, her bunny slippers bobbling on the stone floor. She grinned at the sight of the snitch in the air.

  
“Good morning Harry, I see you found my present.”

  
“Merlin, Luna what did you do to this?” Harry slammed into a chair to chase his snitch when it drifted over the table. Checkers scattered across the floor. Luna giggled. She scooped up checkers while Harry ran after the snitch.

  
“It’s just a little charm. It stops when you catch it.” The snitch floated way out of reach. It settled itself onto one of the high bookshelves like it was waiting for something. Shrugging, Harry bent down to gather the rest of the checkers. He and Luna raided the rest of the cookie tin while they waited for Draco to emerge from his dorm. The snitch was almost forgotten by the time the blond boy left his room.

  
But it shot down, circling in a storm of gold around Draco. Draco rolled his eyes, snatching the snitch out of the air. It beat furiously in his grip.  
“Very funny Potter, did you forget I was a seeker too?” Harry shook his head. The snitch hadn’t settled. Luna said it would stop when it was caught. But it hadn’t stopped. Draco let the golden ball go. It darted back around him before perching on his shoulder like a bird, “What kind of snitch is this?” Harry shrugged.

  
“It’s not mine. Ask Luna.” But Luna was already out of the room, on her way to the great hall. The two boys trailed behind her. No matter how many times Draco batted it away, the snitch kept following. He tried to ignore it.

  
All through breakfast, the snitch circled Draco’s head. It made dives for his bacon. Harry tried to catch it but ended up spilling pumpkin juice all over Draco instead. Blushing, Harry sunk back into his seat. Draco rolled his eyes, magicked himself clean, and poured Harry a new drink.  
“That thing is a pain.” They watched the snitch float around the candles in the hall. Harry nodded. He sipped his pumpkin juice, “What was Lovegood thinking?”

  
“She said it’s charmed, but I don’t know how to make it stop.” On cue, the snitch dive-bombed them again. Harry reached for it, but it was Draco who caught it. He overturned a serving tray cover over the top of it. The metal rattled on the tabletop. Luna frowned. She snatched the cover up to release the snitch. In a blur of wings, the snitch darted back to the candles on the ceiling.

“That’s cruel.”

  
“Make it stop if you care so much, Lovegood.” Draco snapped. He pushed away from the table and stormed out of the room, with the snitch flitting behind him. Harry wanted to chase after him but thought he should give the Slytherin some space. He finished his breakfast, glaring at Luna over the top of his juice cup.

  
“Please call it off.”

  
“All you have to do is catch it,” Luna shrugged, “and kiss him.” Harry sputtered on his drink.

  
“What?” He squawked, “I can’t do that.” Luna hummed. She stacked her plate on top of Draco’s abandoned one to make less of a mess for the elves to clean up. The blonde girl hopped up from her seat, skipping down the hall.

  
“See you later for tree decorating.” She called over her shoulder. Harry fumed, losing his appetite. He abandoned the rest of his breakfast and stormed out of the hall.

***

After cooling off for an hour or two, Harry returned to the great hall. He found Draco and Luna sorting through boxes of ornaments that the elves left out for them. The snitch perched on Draco’s shoulders. It sputtered back to life when Harry walked in and twirled around his messy hair.

  
“You’re late Potter,” Draco called. He held up a string of popcorn and cranberries, “Come help before Lovegood eats it all.” Harry smiled. He batted away the snitch and sat beside the other boy. Draco focused hard enough on his stringing that his pink tongue poked through his lips. Harry laughed. He handed Draco pieces of popcorn out of the bowl, sneaking a few cranberries here and there. Draco swatted his hand away from the bowl, “Just as bad as she is.”

  
Harry nodded. He tossed a piece of popcorn at Draco. The other boy jumped back. It landed on the floor beside him. A smirk crawling across his lips, “Try that again.” Nodding, Harry lifted another piece of popcorn out of the bowl and tossed it to Draco. The blond caught it between his teeth, “Your turn. Open wide, Potter.”

  
Harry opened his mouth, but the snitch bolted between them. The piece of popcorn flew across the room. He shook his head.  
“We’ve got to do something about that snitch.” Draco nodded. He stood up to go retrieve the popcorn off the floor before the elves could scold them for making a mess.

  
“Potter, get over here.” Draco crooked a finger toward him. Harry pushed himself up off the floor. He crossed the room to the blond boy. His eyebrows furrowed beneath the frames of his glasses. Stopping a few feet away from Draco, he batted at the snitch again, “Closer.” Draco ordered, with as much force as Harry had heard him use in a while. Harry shuffled a few steps closer, “Good, now look up.”

  
Harry craned his neck toward the snitch and the high ceiling above. Between the floating candles, a leafy sprig dangled down from the ceiling. He flushed. They were under the mistletoe. Before he could say anything, Draco pressed his lips against Harry’s. Harry stiffened, then melted in the blond’s embrace. He finally tugged back from Draco to catch his breath. Draco grinned, leaning forward to catch the snitch again. He handed it over to Harry, then the ball fell still. Its wings collapsed back inside itself.  
Harry’s mouth fell open,

  
“How did you-” He stopped short, seeing Luna grinning smugly from the other side of the room. She winked at Harry, “Never mind, I already know.” He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Draco’s neck. Going in for another kiss, Harry was gladder than ever that Luna Lovegood was such a snitch.

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not copy to other sites or translate to other languages.


End file.
